DKT 2024: Catalyst for the rubber industry

Latest news and updates relating to DKT 2024 being billed as a catalyst for the global rubber industry:

Featured news & exhibitors

Dow Chemical Co. has unveiled a sustainable EPDM rubber, created “with bio residues from other industries as raw material.” Launched during the German rubber expo DKT 2024 on 3 July, Nordel Ren EPDM is claimed to support customers lower their carbon footprint in the automotive and construction industries. Dow is exhibiting on stand 103a at Hall 8 at DKT. Read more

Brazilian pulp and paper manufacturer Suzano SA and German chemicals distributor Behn Meyer Group have entered a partnership to supply sustainable additives to the European rubber market. Behn Meyer will market Suzano’s lignin-based bioproduct Ecolig as a “sustainable additive” for the in the European market. As part of the launch of the partnership, Behn Meyer and Suzano will exhibiting together at Booth 323, Hall 9 at DKT 2024. Read more

A dedicated section for exhibitors from China was an eye-catching feature of the DKT 2024. Covering around 40 booths, the record Chinese showing was in marked contrast to the last staging of DKT in 2022, when Covid restrictions prevented the country's exhibitors from attending. Read more

Zeon Europe is focusing on the new development of its acrylic rubber (ACM) products to cater for the increasing e-mobility trends. Exhibiting on stand 524, Hall 9, Zeon will highlight new application technologies and aims to intensify the development partnership to generate tailored solutions. With 20ktpa capacity from four locations, Zeon claims to be the largest supplier of the speciality oil-resistant rubber, which is suitable for high-temperature applications up to 180 degrees. The rubber is commonly used in the automotive sector for oil sealing, gaskets, turbo hose, fuel hose cover, and air duct.

Birla Carbon is targeting sustainability and the mechanical rubber goods (MRG) industry at DKT 2024. Exhibiting on stand 307, Hall 9, Birla is showcasing its RavenTM and ConductexTM speciality carbon blacks for the MRG markets, delivering properties such as colour, conductivity, viscosity, and UV protection. Birla is also displaying Continua sustainable carbonaceous material (SCM), offering a sustainable alternative to traditional furnace carbon blacks, which it says is manufactured ‘in reliable large scale.’ Also on display are Birla’s Nanocyl brand, with multiwall carbon nanotubes for “exceptional electrical conductivity” in polymers, and Plasticyl, a highly conductive thermoplastic with carbon nanotubes.

Performance & consistency will be the theme for Ergon, exhibiting on stand 101, Hall 9. The company will highlight its long-term commitment to reinvesting in technologies and integrated logistics, especially as the industry evolves and chemistries shift. A particular focus will be on the consistency of Ergon's HyPrene process oils, as selected by major global tire and rubber manufacturers. Ergon will also be represented at the DKT conference with presentations by: Dr Christina Bergmann: Will pyrolysis oil be used as a raw material to close the gap in the circular economy of rubber articles and beyond? (10am, 2 July); and Nick White: Navigating sustainability requirements and the changing refining landscape for rubber process oils (10am, 3 July).

UK-based Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd, in Hall 9, stand 319, is a family-owned speciality chemical manufacturer, with offices in the US and China, and warehousing facilities in the UK and US. With 153 employees, the company – comprising ‘performance chemicals’ and ‘custom manufacture’ divisions – generates annual sales of around £44.5 million, exporting 70% of its products via a global distribution network. Its 'polymer performance solutions' unit provides products for the polymer and rubber markets, including: peptising agents, polar modifiers, bonding agents and custom chemical blends.  Read more

Desma Elastomertechnik will showcase a range of production technologies “for the sustainable design of the future” in Hall 9, stand 509. Highlights include the new Sealmaster 300+ with Desma brushing system, FlowControl cold runner and mould dummy, which illustrates all possible mould sizes with the respective specific usable area. Also, on show live will be the all-rounder, highly ergonomic Desma 968.560 ZO Benchmark with FIFO-A injection unit and silicone tamper. Other features lined up for DKT include: ITM and cold runner technology, PressureSense, waste-free/low-waste production; ‘Digitization with Desma’; Automation solutions from a single source; Traceability; Sustainable solutions; Silicone processing with Desma; and Demo Ecos - Determine "Product Carbon Footprint" and draw the right conclusions.’ Read more

Extrusion specialist Troester – in Hall 9, stand 611, – will major on its Rotomex gear extruders, billed as “extremely economical and gentle solution for high-quality applications where strained rubber compounds ensure product quality.” Since the early 2000s, more than 150 Rotomex systems from the ZX75, ZX120 and ZX170 series have been supplied for use in the automotive, tire and pharma industry. Applications include technical rubber goods such as pharma products, sealing, profiles, hoses, curing bladders, windscreen wipers and compounds. Rotomex gear extruders feature a "simple and compact" design while energy consumption can be 70% lower than that of a comparable single-screw extruder with a gear pump. Read more

See also ERJ Special Preview of DKT 2024 - Read more

More to follow...

DKT line-up:

Rubber and silicone compounds major Gummiwerk Kraiburg will present its extensive product offerings for a wide range of sectors and industries. Highlights include innovative compounds for hydrogen applications, specially developed compounds for the food industry, special erosion protection film for wind turbines and a dedicated compound series for the drinking water sector. In addition, the company will showcase its expertise in rubber hybrid materials.

Freudenberg Chemical Specialities Group company Chem-Trend will highlight developments in the fields of release agents, purging compounds, and other process chemicals and additives, with particular focus on sustainability. The lineup includes in-press mould Cleaner (IPMC) technology, a rubber compound said to simplify mould cleaning during production.

At DKT 2024, Nordmann will be exhibiting alongside partners Cancarb, Daikin, Ergon International, Imerys and Shenzhen Guanheng. The emphasis, it stated will be on the “the importance of long-standing and dependable partnerships” in offering innovative products and fulfill the wide range of requirements that it does for customers on a day-to-day basis.

Mocom will focus on olefin-based, sustainable thermoplastic elastomer compounds, which provide flexible and sustainable solutions for the automotive industry and other sectors. Innovations to be showcased include a flame-retardant TPV (PP+EPDM) that meets the growing demand for elastomeric material solutions, particularly in e-mobility. Its properties include a Shore hardness of A75, halogen-free, antimony-free, BPA-free, PTFE-free, as well as V0 certification at 1.5 mm thickness and high heat aging resistance.

Sigma Engineering will present its latest software tools for elastomer processing, compounding and ‘virtual’ moulding. “The pursuit of improvements and the development or adaptation of new models continuously expands the software's capabilities, especially in elastomer processing, where these extended approaches are required,” said a company release.

Equipment maker UTH GmbH will present an enhanced product portfolio for rubber, silicone, and polymer processing at the Nuremberg, event. Alongside its modular gear pump technology, the company will spotlight advanced fine mesh straining solutions and its latest dosing and mixing solutions.

Customised press systems for the production of elastomer moulded parts are the focus of Wickert Maschinenbau's presence at DKT in Nuremberg. The portfolio includes systems for small batch numbers as well as for large-scale production and ranges from manually operated hydraulic presses to fully automated production systems for compression moulding, transfer moulding and injection transfer moulding.

More to follow/